Charlie & Miles
by SoraStarkiller
Summary: Beginning. Silence. Family. Coma. Warmth. Shadows. Sunrise. A series of drabbles/scenes revolving around Miles, Charlie and their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_Beginning_

From the moment Miles first saw her, with those big blue eyes perpetually pleading and naïve looking, he knew he'd go with her. Even when he'd flat out told her no, he had already given in. He would have gone out after her met up with her in the wilderness and said something cool about how she, and her little Scooby gang, wouldn't survive one day in the wild without him. But she'd come back for him, that actually surprised him. Family. He thought he had forgotten the meaning of the word, maybe he had. But he was here, with her, off on an insanely suicidal mission to save her brother. He looked over his shoulder and watched her trudge along behind him; she must have felt his gaze because her blue eyes met his. She gave him a questioning look. He shook his head and looked ahead. This was just the beginning.

_Silence_

She was shaking; crouched low she tried to quiet her breathing. They were everywhere, came out of nowhere. Her crossbow was no match for the militias' guns, and when shots were fired she'd lost track of everyone; they'd all just ran, dove to the ground. Charlie strained her ears trying to listen; she could hear the crunch of leaves under men's boots, the cocking of a pistol. She shivered. It was pitch dark all around her, the canopy of the trees blocking out the light of the stars. She heard a scream. Maggie. They had found her. She hesitated briefly before steeling herself and rushing towards the scream.

"Hey!" Charlie shouted, getting the men's attention. She managed to shoot one of the three, an arrow clean through his neck. She tried not to think about the fact that she'd just killed another person. It would be her third.

Maggie kneed the man holding her, but was dragged to the ground with him when he grabbed hold of her hair making her yelp. Charlie's hands were shaking as she tried to reload her crossbow. She wasn't quick enough. The militant raised his gun and fired. She slammed into the ground so hard the wind was knocked out of her, and a crushing weight pinned her in place. She heard Miles curse as he pulled her up from beneath him and dragged her behind the trees. He cursed again and she could see he was bleeding. The bullet had gone clean through his shoulder. Before she could say anything he had unsheathed on knife from his belt and ran back towards the battle. Charlie reloaded her bow and raced after him. She got there just in time to see the knife imbed itself in the militant's forehead.

It was over. Maggie ran over to where Aaron, who was passed out cold on the forest floor. Miles sighed and ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against a tree. He turned and saw her watching him. He looked relieved and then suddenly angry, really angry.

"You did a damn fool thing runnin' out like that." He practically yelled. Yeah, he was definitely angry. Charlie couldn't help but feel indignant at his reaction.

"I wasn't going to let them kill Maggie!" She answered back crossing her arms angrily.

"You could have died!" Charlie blinked, was that fear she head in his voice? He sighed again, clearly aggravated. And almost as an afterthought: "What about Danny huh?" Charlie walked over to stand in front of him, glancing up at him briefly before checking his wound. It wasn't as bad as she had first thought it had gone through the tissue of his upper arm, but it was just a flesh wound, nothing Maggie couldn't fix up.

"Are you okay?" He asked her suddenly, quietly. She looked up at him surprised thinking she should be the one asking that. But then it hit her, he'd reminded her after all. She didn't think she'd ever get use to killing. She swallowed hard and nodded. She felt a profound sadness and disgust at the situation at what she had been forced to do. That's when she felt his arms around her as he pulled her into a hug. Her hands fisted in his jacket.

"Thank you." She whispered. And he held her like that in the silence of the forest.

_Family_

It was barely dawn, but Miles was wide awake. He couldn't sleep, not after yesterday. He got up and started walking away from camp being as quiet as he could. Finding a rocky sloped area he sat on one of the large moss covered rocks and thought. Sitting alone in the forest was actually quite peaceful, which was helpful since his mind was anything but. He couldn't even imagine what they, what she, thought of him now. He was surprised they were even still with him after all that. It wasn't as though he'd lied though, he hadn't betrayed them. Not really. He was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't heard her come up behind him.

"You okay?" He turned to look at her as she took a seat beside him. He searched her face for anger, hostility, sadness, anything, but found nothing. He laughed humorously.

"That's it? 'You okay'?" Miles asked, he felt angry, either at her for not being angry or at himself. "You just found out it was my fault that the Monroe Republic even got started! You should be pissed, not asking if I'm okay." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear seeming to consider his words.

"Oh I am pissed," she finally answered. "But it's not like you wanted all this to happen. But," She turned and looked him straight in the eyes "What I don't understand is why you didn't stay and try to fix things. Why you ran away."

"I didn't run away," he muttered. She scoffed and gave him 'ya did too' look.

"Which," Charlie continued as she got to her feet, brushing the dirt from her pants, "is why you're going to put it right." He quirked an eyebrow, "We're going to get Danny back and then we're going to fix this mess!"

"You're really fond of suicidal plans aren't you?" She just smiled a big toothy grin. "And what makes you think I'll stick around for round two, huh?"

"Because we're family."


	2. Chapter 2

_Coma_

He looked dead, lying there on that small bed in the dingy little abandoned farm house they had found. And thank God they had found it, Charlie was sure he wouldn't have survived long in the forest, not like this, especially with Maggie explaining about the high possibility of infection. She could barely tell Miles was even still alive, his breathing was so shallow and his skin so pale; but the angry red wound on his side continued to bleed proving that life still inhabited the still corpse before her. Maggie had bandaged it, cleaned it as best she could, but it was a stab wound, and deep at that. Thankfully it hadn't hit any vital organs, but the blood loss and high risk of infection still made it potentially deadly.

Charlie sat in a wooden chair by the bed side, the candle light flickering across his lifeless body. She could see the scars that marred the tanned skin of his torso. Mostly gashes, grazes, an even a few bullet holes. His midsection was wrapped in what was once clean white cloth, and was now a light scarlet color.

Bounty hunters had gotten the jump on them, Miles of course was never one to surrender, not really anyway. Had taken it for Aaron. The sword. Charlie could still remember that horrible sound of the blade sheathing itself into Miles' flesh, could still see that pained yet determined expression on his face, could still see the scarlet river of blood... He had killed the man, pulled the rusted sword out of his midsection and turned to make sure everyone was okay. Charlie couldn't believe how nonchalant and dismissive he was when she ran to help him. Her hands had come away bloody, and she could see the forest floor below him was deep red. She'd looked up at him, an expression of abject horror. But all he had done is told them they had to get moving, their position had been compromised, that was about the time he lost consciousness. Charlie had scarcely been able to keep her balance when he collapsed forward onto her.

It was her fault, no matter what anyone said. She was the one who got so pissed at him when he used Aaron as bate back in the beginning. Miles' seemingly complete lack of regard for others' wellbeing had really been a sore point in their relationship. Charlie had found though that it wasn't a lack of regard, it was more of a wall he set up around himself. And after having dealt with Militia, bounty hunters and outlaws Charlie could see why. Back at that bar, before they'd found Nora, she could see how angry Miles had been about having to actually take their lives into account. She could see the benefits of working alone, of isolation, especially in a world like this. Being alone was just easier, less complicated. It was her though who had talked to him about it, yelled even sometimes, pushed and pushed until that wall came tumbling down. Miles cared about Aaron, about Maggie, and about her; and it was all her fault. That's why she had to stay with him, had to make sure he woke up. She reached out and took his lifeless hand in hers, relieved somewhat that it was warm.

"Charlie you need to get some sleep" Maggie stood in the doorway, clearly concerned. Charlie hesitated; she didn't want to leave him like this. But then she realized it was her job now, to protect them. Miles had always been the leader, protector. It was her turn. She gave his hand a light squeeze before letting it go and taking up her crossbow.

"I'll take first watch." Maggie looked as though she were about to argue, but something in Charlie's face must have made her change her mind. Charlie took a last look back at Miles. It was odd, with him lying there dead, but not, it reminded her of one of those hospital dramas she used to watch when she was a kid. The ones where a family member would go into a coma and their loved ones would have to be strong and wait for them to come back to the world of the living.

_Warmth_

It was freezing. No snow yet but Miles was sure it wouldn't be taking its sweet time getting there. It had been a long time since he'd spent a winter out in the wild. Back in Chicago he'd had decent shelter, a fire, and anything else you could possibly need. As it stood now he and the Scooby gang were stuck camping in the forest. They couldn't even build a fire because they were being actively followed by the Militia, and a fire would make them an easy target especially since it was pitch black.

He had no clue how Aaron was able to sleep when it was this cold, but nevertheless he was snoring away. Maggie and Charlie were wrapped tight in their coats and bedroll blankets. Despite that though, he could hear Charlie's teeth chattering and he watched as she blew warm air into her hands and rubbed them together. Seeing her do this just annoyed him for some reason. Mile sighed; he noticed he'd started doing quite a bit of that ever since he joined them on their ridiculously impossible quest. He unwrapped himself from his coarse wool bedroll blanket, both Charlie and Maggie raised an eyebrow at this.

"Here," he grumbled tossing his blanket to Charlie who caught it in surprise. He had a long sleeved shirt and jacket on anyway, plus he liked to think he was use to the cold. She needed it more than he did. Charlie just stared at the blanket for a moment, just holding it in her, probably, ice cold hands.

"Thanks but," Charlie tossed his blanket back to him. "I'm okay. Besides you'll freeze." The small sniffle undermined half of what she had said. Miles frowned narrowing his eyes before tossing his blanket back at her.

"I'll be fine. You're the one who's turning into a popsicle." Charlie seemed offended and was about to say something back when Maggie spoke.

"Will you two stop acting like six year olds?" Maggie actually sounded as though she found the whole situation funny, which ticked both Miles and Charlie off just a bit. "Just share it." With that Maggie rolled over her back to them, thus ending the conversation. Charlie and Miles looked from Maggie to each other. Miles watched as Charlie looked down at the blanket, then she hopped up from where she sat and plopped herself down next to him handing him one end of the blanket. He could feel how cold she was just sitting next to her so, reluctantly he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. It was like snuggling with a snowman, but he knew she'd warm up eventually. Looking down at her he couldn't help smiling a bit as she seemed to be enjoying stealing his warmth.

A/N:

So I know there are only two episodes, but who's everyone's favorite pairing? Miles/Maggie, Maggie/Aaron, Charlie/Aaron, Charlie/Nate, Charlie/Miles (and any other pairings you could come up with)?


	3. Chapter 3

_Shadows_

The rope burned her wrists. Tied mercilessly tight it painfully secured her to the steel chair. She was in some kind of warehouse; the torch light was dim keeping most of the room in shadows, but she knew they were there. Miles was going to kill her for this, for getting captured, 'again' as he would put it. It wasn't really Charlie's fault though, she'd been out hunting, sure a little further out from camp then she usually did but still, when they had come across her; Monroe's men. She'd managed to break one of her attacker's noses, and shoot another in the shoulder. But with five against one she didn't have very good odds. What had angered her more than anything was that 'Nate', or whatever the hell his name actually was, was with them. He'd seemed reluctant and unhappy about the situation, but it wasn't as though he were helping her get out of this.

"Where is he then?" The man whose nose she had broken asked walking towards her. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the blade he held. She swallowed as he continued to advance towards her. "Huh?" He came to a stop right in front of her his knife against her throat.

"I don't know." Charlie answered glaring up at him. "We split up-" She was backhanded roughly, her head snapping to one side. Charlie slowly moved her head back and looked up at him throwing as much hatred and malice into her expression as she could.

"Don't lie to me!" He raised his hand again, but as Charlie prepared for the impact a hand shot out wrenching the man's arm viciously behind his back making him cry out in pain.

"Leave her alone." It was Nate. He shoved the man away placing himself between her and the other Militia men. The suspicious and dark looks on his companions' faces must have spurred him to continue. "We don't need her to talk. We can use her as bait." Charlie was grateful for his actions but his words sent a cold shiver down her spine. He was absolutely right, Miles would come after her; he'd know it was a trap but he'd still come for her. Charlie had absolute confidence in Miles' abilities but he'd just barely recovered from his injury, it wasn't in any condition for a rescue. Maybe he wouldn't come though, maybe he'd be as selfish and uncaring as he pretended to be. A girl could hope.

"You sweet on her boy?" The tallest man, clearly the leader from the way the rest look at him, asked. Nate scoffed, but the tall man's expression didn't change. The atmosphere in the room had become electric. Charlie could see how tense Nate looked, how agitated some of the other men looked.

"She's bait." He repeated flatly, "We don't need to torture her for information." The tall man cocked his head to the side seeming to consider his words. He smiled, it gave Charlie chills.

"Her father might have told her something, something about the power." The way the other men looked at her after he said those words sent fear coursing through her. She swallowed hard and took a breath trying to keep it out of her face, trying to suppress it. It wouldn't help her in a situation like this.

"She doesn't know anything" Nate said tersely, receiving a snort from the tall man.

"Well I still think I'll question her all the same." The tall man smiled coldly, practically daring Nate to defy him. The man with the broken nose handed his knife over to the tall man when he held out his hand. He made a step towards her.

"I'll do it." Nate growled grabbing the blade from the tall man's hand. He turned on her. She stiffened as he approached. She took a small intake of breath as the cold metal met her neck. Looking up from the blade and into Nate's eyes, his face seemed almost apologetic. "Just give them something," he whispered softly, surprising Charlie. "Anything, just…lie…so I don't have to hurt you."

Suddenly there was a sharp hissing noise, an arrow cut through the air and imbedded itself into the broken nosed man's neck. Nate jerked around and Charlie stifled a grunt of pain, a shallow cut formed along her neck where the blade had been. There was silence for a long moment. The Militia drew their guns, their eyes darting across the shadows.

"We want him alive boys." The tall one reminded them.

"Yeah, well, I want you dead." Without warning Miles' blade cut up and through the tall man's back from the shadows behind. The two Militia men still standing fired their weapons, but Miles used the tall man's body as a shield. Another arrow whizzed out of the darkness slicing through one of the men's necks. It must have been Maggie. Charlie had been showing her how to handle a crossbow, something Maggie insisted on since they seemed to keep getting into trouble. Reloading seemed to be her biggest problem, but her aim was spot on. Miles ripped his bloodied sword from the tall man's body and raced towards the last standing enemy. Or second to last.

Nate, still standing in front of Charlie, drew his own pistol. Charlie could see he was aiming for a non-fatal shot but she couldn't help the panicked gasp that slipped from her when she realized what he was about to do. Nate glanced back at her, giving her a split second to try to stop him. With all the strength she could muster she brought both her legs up and kicked at the back of his legs. She ended up pushing off of him, making her lose balance and tumble onto the floor sideways. Luckily he lost his balance as well, his shot hitting the floor by Miles' feet. Charlie couldn't see much from her new position but she heard the arrow that pierced Nate's shoulder. Miles' was just finishing the other Militia member off, Nate would be next. Obviously he realized this as well since, with one last glance at Charlie, that apologetic regretful look ever present in his expression, he took off into the shadows. Charlie heard Miles growl as he started chasing after the boy.

"Miles!" Charlie's voice made him stop. He turned away from the boy's path and headed to where Charlie lay on the floor. Drawing his knife he cut through her restraints easily. She sat up and rubbed her wrists, they were red and bruising. Crouching next to her Miles brushed her hair away from her face and off her shoulder finding the cut on her neck. He scowled.

"Are you alright Charlie?" Maggie asked coming to kneel next to where Charlie sat. Aaron was walking nervously out of the shadows navigating around the bodies of the dead Militia. Charlie nodded.

"I'm going after him" Miles started to stand but Charlie grabbed his arm, stopping him. She looked up at him, seeing a myriad of emotions play across his features. Mostly anger, annoyance, and every other negative emotion you could name.

"He'll bring more men."

"He's injured. We'll be out of here before he could get back." Charlie reasoned.

"He…" Charlie saw his gaze flit to the cut on her neck. 'He hurt you', that's what she thought he was going to say. But he fell silent. She didn't know why, but she felt disappointed. Miles sighed in exasperation. Miles turned away from her to look to where Nate had run, to look into the shadows. Charlie tightened her grip.

She'd tried to drag him out of the shadows in the beginning, but found him unmovable. Today he'd come out the shadows to save her, and she'd be damned if she was going to let him go back in.

A/N

So silliest metaphor ever, and poorly constructed (did it even make sense?). I though writing some dabbles about these two would get them out of my system...but there still there :(

So, when does everyone think Nate's going to do a heel face turn in the show? Seems to me like it has to happen eventually.

Also, Rachel and Monroe, I bet that has some interesting history eh?

Please review! Criticism is always, always welcome (that's how you get to be a better writer right?).

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

_Sunrise_

It was barely dawn, the forest air cool and crisp and a hazy blue tint to the still early morning woods. Calm and eerie, that's how it could be described. Charlie however, was anything but.

Her breath came in ragged gasps. Stumbling on the uneven ground, she ran through the forest. Tripping on a large root Charlie fell forward, scraping the palm of her hand on the harsh bark of the tree she steadied herself against. How did she get into this situation? Alright, she knew. It was her fault. She had been the one to run, the one who couldn't defend herself without her crossbow. She'd panicked though. Having landed a great right hook he had let go of her arm, and without thinking she had bolted in the opposite direction. Miles had told her she needed to learn hand to hand, and sword skills. He was right, of course.

She heard the crunching of leaves behind her. Turning around she saw her pursuer.

"You didn't get very far." He commented. She could hear the smile in his voice. It pissed her off. Taking the fighting stance Miles had taught her, she balled her fists and prepared for round two. Likewise her opponent shifted his weight and brought up his fists. Miles had always told her not to attack first. She'd pointed out he always did, but he brushed it off explaining for 'her' it was better to start on the defensive. Find the enemies weaknesses, their openings, and then go on the offensive. Personally Charlie thought Miles was just too hot headed and impulsive to actually follow his own advice. Unfortunately so was she.

Lunging forward, Charlie gave several quick jabs. Her opponent easily blocked her initial attacks. Side stepping the hit aimed at her stomach, Charlie elbowed him in the face. She heard him grunt in pain. Putting some distance back between them she tried to catch her breath. He glowered at her, she couldn't help smirking. If he thought he'd take her down he was wrong. Now it was Charlie who was blocking, using her forearms to deflect his blows. She leapt back, when he tried to knee her in the gut. She'd been surprised she had been able to avoid it considering how fast and unrelenting his attack was. Unless, he was going easy on her. That ticked her off.

Going back on the offensive, Charlie uppercut her opponent which he dogged, putting enough distance between them for her to send a roundhouse kick his way. He moved back just in time though, making Charlie growl in frustration. A few more jabs and they were back up in close quarters. Giving her the chance to hook her ankle around his and make him loose his balance.

His hand shot out though grabbing her wrist and yanking her down onto the forest floor with him. Before she knew it Charlie was pinned beneath him. Both her wrists were held down by his large hands and her legs were useless from her current position. And she did not like this position. It was worse than last time.

"Aaaaand, you're dead." He smirked down at her. With a surge of indignation Charlie wrenched one of her arms up and the other down; his balance now compromised, she bucked sideways flipping them. Head-butting him, their foreheads colliding roughly, he let go of her with a sharp hiss of pain. Miles had told her head-butts weren't a good move, and she could understand why now. Her head was pounding. She'd be feeling that for a while. Scrambling away Charlie found herself breathing hard, and heart pounding. She could also feel her face burning, no doubt beet red at this point. She hopped he'd chalk it up to exhaustion.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his head. She couldn't believe how unfazed Miles seemed.

"You were going easy on me," she accused, blue eyes narrowed. Miles shrugged.

"Wasn't sure you could handle it," he smirked. "Seeing as how you ran off like that." Charlie felt a new wave of heat across her face, this time from embarrassment. She didn't really know what to say to that. Yes she had ran. Their first round had ended up almost the same; they'd ended up on the ground, her pinned beneath. And that's when it happened. Charlie had started to feel her focus waning, started feeling her body heat up and her heart began to pound. She started feeling light headed and she knew that if she was under him for much longer she'd lose all ability to think! So she had to run. Luckily he hadn't pinned one of her arms and she had been able to shove him off with a right hook. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her. Maybe she was just tired.

"I panicked." She muttered.

"Well, that's why I told you, you need to learn this stuff." Miles pushed himself up from the ground and brushed himself off. "You're great with a crossbow, but you will end up in close combat one day." He walked towards her and she couldn't help noticing how her previously slowing heart sped up a bit. Offering his hand, he pulled her up. She muttered a thanks. "You did good today. Come on." They headed back to camp. Aaron and Maggie were still asleep when they got back.

The sun was just rising; yellow and orange light brightening the cool blue wilderness. Charlie hadn't actually watched a sunrise in a long time. She'd just never had the time really, too worried or anxious to even think about it. It was the start of a new day, the start to… something. Charlie wasn't quite sure, but it made her smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Miles asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The sunrise," and she couldn't help but notice he smiled a bit too.

A/N

Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! And for the spelling help :D As always feedback is much appreciated.

Quick question for the next chapter though. How would you feel about me changing their relationship a bit? Reducing any 'squick' factors? :3


	5. Chapter 5

_Shield_

The forest was dead silent. A cool breeze wafting between the trees, and the blinding green foliage added to the serenity of the woods. From beneath the shrubs, littering the forest floor, a small gray rabbit poked its head out. Its small pink nose twitching as it sniffed the air and its eyes blinked several times making sure the coast was clear. Hopping a few feet before it suddenly stopped, the rabbit's ears twitched and its muscles tensed. The rabbit turned in the direction of the sound it had heard, a sound no human would have heard. Raising an ear to listen the rabbit had no more warnings as an arrow pierced its body.

Charlie was very proud of herself as she hopped up from her hiding place, where she had been lying in wait after tracking the small animal for about twenty minutes. Pretty short considering how long it could take normally. Retrieving her arrow and the rabbit, Charlie couldn't help but smile. Maggie made a mean rabbit stew, and Charlie for one was sick of eating stale bread. A proper dinner is just what they needed. Even Miles must have agreed, since he had let her go out hunting. Well, technically they'd gone together, but when they'd come across that rabbit, which promptly dashed away, it had turned into a sort of bet and they had split up. And Charlie had won. She was the more experience hunter between them though. So wrapped up in the glow of victory Charlie didn't notice the soft crunching of leaves behind her, not until he was too close.

"I won fair and square, Miles," Charlie smirked and turned around. The smile fell from her face immediately though when she saw him. "Nate." Almost instinctively Charlie's weight shifted until she was in a more defensive stance. Nate raised his hands in a sign of peace.

"I'm not here to fight, Charlie." She believed him. He looked awful; black circles under his blood shot eyes, clearly he hadn't slept for a while, and his shoulder was badly bandaged. Overall he just looked disheveled.

"Then what are you here for?" She had meant to sound more uncaring, but the way he looked and sounded, she couldn't help but soften a little. And besides, whatever may have happened in that warehouse he did try to help her. Sort of.

"I haven't checked in yet." He said, his voice sounded tired and heavy. "With the Militia," he clarified. His eyes met hers and she couldn't help but feel bad about all this. She had tried staying mad at him, he'd lied to her after all, sold out Miles position to the Militia; but, looking at him now he just looked like a scared kid. She wondered why he had even joined with Monroe's men. That's why she found herself unable to keep that fiery anger going.

She knew what he was asking. And she wasn't sure how to answer. Charlie, were she the one calling all the shots would have welcomed him. Well, maybe not welcomed, more like putting him on a trial basis with conditions. But, then she'd been burned from trusting him before and even though all this seemed sincere there was a little part of her, one that Miles had actively been cultivating, that wondered whether all of it was just a trick. But ultimately the biggest obstacle would be Miles himself.

"Miles'll never go for it." Charlie replied softly, almost apologetically. Nate gave a singly chuckle, the lack of humor was potent. He seemed to be considering her words, or maybe his options.

"I thought you were the one running the show." He smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Get away from her!" Both of them turned to see Miles. He was angry, without thinking Charlie moved to stand between him and Nate.

"Hold on Miles," Charlie started in an attempt to defuse the situation. Miles had drawn his sword. "He's not-"

"I don't care what he's here for." Miles snapped, as he approached, his gaze locked on Nate. "Get out of the way, Charlie."

"No," she replied stubbornly. Giving an exasperated sigh Miles grabbed ahold of Charlie's arm and yanked her over to him, placing her behind him. Before he could start towards Nate though, Charlie wrapped both of her arms around one of his and held him back. "Miles!"

"Let go of me Charlie!" His gaze finally left Nate and locked onto her instead. It was then that Nate, with one last look at Charlie, bolted. Miles tried to go after him but Charlie held fast. It wasn't long before he was gone. "Now our positions compromised. Again."

"Why'd you have to be like that?" Charlie asked finally letting go. She glared up at him. He glared back.

"I was protecting you." Miles started walking back towards camp, and when he noticed Charlie just standing there, hands on hips and a scowl on her face, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind him. "You can't trust him."

"And how would you even know that?" Charlie argued. "You don't even know him!"

"You don't know him!" Miles reminded her, picking up his pace.

"Well I won't ever get to know him if you don't let me." Charlie growled in frustration.

"Good." Charlie gapped at his response. What was his problem?

"You are being way too overprotective," Charlie grumbled irritated.

"Overprotective?" Miles stopped and turned to look at her. He managed to look both completely pissed and highly amused, which just aggravated Charlie more.

"You can't shield me from the world." She pointed out harshly. For a moment he just looked at her. Then he smirked.

"I can damn well try."

_Motorcycle_

Abandoned cars littered the once busy and vibrant interstate. Now the only life that regularly traversed the road was vines and grass that slowly engulfed the cracked concrete. Miles and Charlie walk through the line of cars, every now and then checking to see whether there were any salvageable goods left behind. Already Charlie had found a change of clothes for herself and for Maggie as well, both girls were in sore need of it. Digging through a glove box Miles pulled out an old Swiss army knife, he smiled faintly before pocketing it. Weaving his way around the line of cars something caught his eye. Charlie noticed Miles had stopped and headed in his direction.

"What is it?" She asked. As she approached she saw Miles had stopped in front of a silver Suzuki motorcycle. Charlie stood on the opposite side of the bike watching him. His hands ghosted over the handle bars, a look of fondness was visible in his expression. Charlie didn't think she'd ever seen him look like that. "Did you use to have one?"

"Yeah," he smiled a little. "Back before… Used to really love the thing." He looked up and saw her watching him, her blue eyes filled with empathy? Sympathy? Something like that, Miles thought. "You would've liked it."

"Well," Charlie started, placing one of her hands on the cool metal of the handle bar. "When we get the power back up maybe you'll take me for a ride." She gave him a grin and he laughed.

"'When' we get the power back on?" Miles asked though a bark of laughter. "Aren't we already saving Danny and 'fixing my mess'"

"It's all part of the plan," Charlie smiled conspiratorially. "Step one, save Danny. Step two, fix the country. Step three, save the world." Miles laughed. A surge of happiness, and a bit of pride, went through Charlie. She was glad he no longer looked so down. The past and Miles didn't seem to get along too well. Her blue eyes watched his, and when his laughter had died down he looked at her.

She looked happy staring up at him, blue eyes shining, and hair blowing in the wind. Their eyes were locked, and Charlie didn't want to be the one to break it. Standing there looking at each other with only a motorcycle between them Charlie felt her heart beat a little faster.

"Okay," Miles' eyes darted away from hers, "moment over." Heading back to walking through the lines of cars Miles left Charlie standing by the bike. Blinking Charlie followed after him.

"What?" Confused by what he had just said. She didn't get an answer though he just waved telling her to follow. She ran to catch up.

A/N

No big changes this time. Thanks for all the reviews!

Who do you think is going to die next episode? I don't know why but I think Maggie or Nora.


	6. Chapter 6

_Water_

The forest was a vibrant green, and the sun shone brightly through the canopy of trees. The intense heat of the summer engulfed the forest, and the sounds of crickets and cicadas filled the air. Charlie hiked through the same path she had taken just a few hours before trying her best to ignore the unbearably humid and hot climate. A relieved smile graced her features as she found the small oasis she had seen earlier. A small waterfall emptied out into a circular pond before continuing down the stream and reforming into the river. It was the perfect place for a bath, and after all the walking, sweating and fighting Charlie was unbelievably happy to have found such a perfect spot.

Charlie had told Miles where she was going, well sort of. She'd told him that she was 'going for a walk' and would be back in thirty minutes. Miles had sort of smirked in response, and considering he had also seen the little pond, and the way Charlie had looked at it, she was pretty sure he knew what she was really doing. In any case she had plenty of time to wash. She had one pair of spare clothes that she had to change into after her bath, which made it just that much more appealing. Charlie didn't remember the last time she had actually had a bath _and_ clean clothes.

Taking one quick look around to make sure no one was there, Charlie set down her pack and peeled her clothing from her sticky skin before stepping into the cool water. The water was chilly, but Charlie enjoyed it anyway. Ducking her head under the water she rinsed her hair. When she came up for air, she just waded in the cool water for a while. It wasn't silent in the forest, wasn't peaceful per se, but to Charlie it was a premium spa treatment. Remembering what she had found in one of the abandoned shops they had passed a while back, Charlie swam over to the side of the pool and reached into her pack, smiling as she pulled out the bar of soap. It was a scented soap, some kind of fruity scent, something Charlie normally wouldn't use if given a choice; choice being the key word.

Humming lightly to herself, Charlie narrowly missed the sound of footsteps. She immediately froze though, upon realizing there was someone close by. Her first inclination was to think it was Nora, or Miles, coming to tell her it had been longer than thirty minutes and to come back to camp. But it wasn't either of them. She could hear two voices, men, talking and laughing. They were getting closer. Weighing her options Charlie realized it would take far too long to get dressed and run before they arrived. She couldn't just leave her pack behind, and she sure as hell wasn't getting out of the pond without clothes. Barely having enough time to do so, Charlie grabbed her things and hid under the embankment over the pond, clutching her pack, clothes, and boots to her bare chest under the water.

She could hear that the men must be right above her and she could hear them unscrewing bottle caps. They were probably just there for water. She hoped they would leave soon, there was hardly enough room for Charlie's head to remain above water. Charlie grimaced as she looked down at her clothes and pack, which were now soaked. She heard the men laugh some more before their footsteps receded, waiting a few minutes more just to make sure they were gone, Charlie emerged from her hiding place and sat her drenched things on the bank.

Annoyed at the whole situation, Charlie washed herself off again; the underside the embankment had been very muddy. Sighing she turned back to the shore, where she had set her soaked clothing, both pairs, on a flat mostly clean rock to dry. The humidity wasn't helping this though. Biting her lip Charlie wondered whether she should just put on the wet clothes anyway. When she got back to camp she could ask Nora to borrow some clothes until hers dried. Just as Charlie was about to hop out of the pond she heard someone call her name. And it wasn't Nora.

Submerging herself in the pond until only her head was sticking out, Charlie watched as Miles came through the trees. He stopped when he saw her, and then laughed. She knew she must look a bit comical, frowning, blushing with only her head visible, but Charlie did not appreciate his reaction.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked, miffed. Miles crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree.

"You've been gone for forty five minutes." He answered a hint of a grin still there.

"I mean, why are _you_ here, instead of Nora?" Charlie clarified, although she had the feeling he knew what she meant the first time around.

"Well, you said you were 'going for a walk', so I didn't think it mattered who came to find you." He was still smiling. Charlie felt down right indignant. "Why're you so late anyway?"

"There were these guys-" She started.

"Guys?" Miles repeated. Charlie didn't miss the flash of anger or the way his hand went to the hilt of his blade.

"It's fine, I hid, they left, and they didn't even know I was here." Charlie placated. Her annoyed expression had softened considerably.

"Fine." Miles replied, although he didn't look very 'fine' to Charlie. "Just get dressed, and we'll go back to camp."

"Actually," Charlie began, "my clothes sort of ended up wet. So could you go back to camp and get some dry clothes for me from Nora?" She asked sheepishly. Miles blinked.

"Leave you here alone?" Miles crossed his arms again. "What, so those guys can come back and you can get captured, again?"

"It was only twice!" Charlie said exasperatedly. Seriously, she wasn't always getting caught and besides she was a good fighter. She was not as much of a burden as she thought Miles seemed to make her out to be. Nora had said he was just looking out for her, and just mad at himself for not preventing every little mishap that seemed to be the staple of their little adventure. She sighed. "Look, will you do it or not? 'cuz I really don't want to have to wear wet clothes all the way back to camp."

"Better idea," Miles unzipped his jacket, slid it off and held it out to her. "It should be long enough on you." That wasn't really what Charlie had expected, although nothing Miles did ever was. Nevertheless she rose out of the water just enough to take his jacket. As soon as she had he turned around. His back now facing her, Charlie stepped out of the pond and put the jacket on, zipping it up. Miles had been right, it was long enough, coming down to about mid-thigh.

Miles turned back around when he heard her finish zipping the jacket up. Charlie put the wet clothes into her also wet pack so it would be easier to carry. She then looked down at her boots. She had really liked her boots too; now they were dripping and she was about to have to put muddy feet into them.

"Really?" He asked looking a bit irked. She looked up at him, realizing he must have been watching her look at her boots. Sighing Miles walked towards her, grabbing her pack and throwing it over his shoulder he handed her the boots, and before she knew what was happening he had scooped her up and was carrying her off towards the camp. The water of the pond shimmered behind them.

_History_

It was the moment she had been waiting for. Ever since she had figured out why her dad had died, why Danny had been taken and who was ultimately responsible for the utter destruction of her life, some small part of Charlie had wanted revenge. Now, here she stood in the office of Sebastian Monroe, leader of the Monroe Republic, with his hands up and her cross bow aimed at his head.

"You're not going to shoot me," Monroe told her darkly. It was bad enough that he had destroyed her family, but worse was that he didn't look scared or even threatened by her despite the fact that she was the one armed.

"Yes, I am." Charlie said determined. The anger was evident on her face, her brows knit and arched, her nostrils flaring, and teeth clenched. "You took my mother."

"Miles-"

"Under your orders!" Charlie yelled. She wasn't going to let him try to shake her confidence in the one person who had been there for her through the entire ordeal. She took a breath. "You tried to take my brother." He didn't have anything to say to that. "You killed my father." She growled.

"That's what this is really about isn't it?" It was phrased as a question, but it was a statement. Monroe smiled. Charlie tightened her grip on her crossbow. He looked her straight in the eye and smirked. "He wasn't even your real father."

Charlie froze momentarily. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch; her mouth went dry, and her mind raced. He had to be lying right? It was just a ploy. Unfortunately, ploy or not, it worked. In one swift movement Monroe had armed himself, and Charlie found herself looking down the barrel of a gun. There was a soft click.

Turning to look, Charlie saw Miles, who had entered from the side door. He had armed himself with a pistol, which was now trained on Monroe.

"Drop it." Miles ordered. Sebastian smiled and dropped it. "Now kick it over to her." Monroe did as asked, and Charlie retrieved the weapon. "Now, we're going to walk out of here." Miles slammed the butt of his pistol into Monroe's head knocking him unconscious. Charlie looked at the gun in her hands, and at that sorry excuse for a man lying slumped against his wooden desk.

"Charlie," Miles pulled her out of her trance. "Killing him won't change anything. And it won't make you feel better. It'll just make you hate yourself." His words were soft and kind, as was his hand when it took hold of hers.

Everything went by in a blur. She remembered them running down the hall, ducking from bullets and Miles cursing. She remembered the explosion, the one that allowed her and Miles to escape the complex, the shouts of the Militia and the bark of dogs. They were both out of breath.

Charlie wasn't sure how far they had run or how long, but her lungs were burning. Miles handed her a water flask and she drank deeply. Handing it back to Miles she tried to get her breathing under control. Her mind strayed back to what Monroe had said. It was what had been distracting her during their escape, what had almost got her killed back in that office. He had to have been lying. But when she had looked at him, when he had said it, he hadn't been lying. Charlie knew he hadn't. She dropped her head into her hands and tried to push the thought out of her mind.

"Are you okay?" She looked over at Miles, he looked concerned. Charlie thought that was the only time she'd really seen him look that way, except for maybe when Maggie died. Miles. He would know. If Monroe knew, then he had to.

"Miles," Charlie began; her voice was soft and sounded scared to her own ears. "Ben was my father right?" She looked him straight in the eye, and the fact that he didn't answer right away practically gave her the answer. She looked away.

"Charlie, he was your father, he raised you-"

"Is he my biological father?" Each word was emphasized. But she already knew the answer.

"No." Charlie could feel tears starting to well up, and she felt her throat tighten. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe normally. She calmed herself down enough to ask her next question.

"Who is he then?" Miles looked away. She saw his jaw clench.

"It doesn't matter Charlie. Ben raised you as his own-"

"Miles," Charlie stopped him, her voice hard. "I need to know." And she did. She didn't want to end up in another situation where new information about her caused her to lose focus in a fight. Charlie was tired of being the last to know everything. Miles knew what she was thinking, and she did deserve to know. But Miles really didn't want to be the one to tell her, he hoped it'd never come up. His luck was always rotten.

"Your mother was pregnant when she married Ben. Your parents they, were good friends. Ben was in love with her, and she…Rachel had a high school flame. The bad kind, real unhealthy relationship." Charlie nodded numbly. "Anyway, he was in my unit and after he shipped out, she found out she was pregnant. She didn't want to marry…him…she knew it would end up badly. Ben proposed, she said yes. Ancient history at this point."

"What happened to him, my father?" Charlie practically choked out the last bit.

"She did tell him eventually, he was angry, but in all honesty as much as he wanted her he…"

"Didn't want me." Charlie finished for him.

"He didn't want a family," Miles corrected firmly. "Ben loved you as his own, Charlie. It doesn't matter if you're not blood, you're still family." Charlie felt the tears start to fall. Miles reached out and put an arm over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She sniffed.

"Of course I'm right," that got a small laugh out of her. Then she asked the question Miles had hoped she wouldn't ask, the one he'd been trying to steer clear of.

"What was his name, my father?" Immediately Charlie knew something was up from the way Miles seemed to tense up.

"It doesn't matter, Charlie," he tried to brush it off. She could feel her heart begin to pound and the fear rise within her once more. Miles' reaction meant she knew him already.

"Miles, tell me."

"You don't want to know." She glared up at him, glad that anger was replacing the coiling fear.

"What is his name?" Charlie asked once more. Miles sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked way to on edge for having to just give her a name. Finally he relented.

"Sebastian Monroe."

And he was right; she really, really, really didn't want to know.

A/N

Thanks for all the reviews guys!


	7. Chapter 7

_Strange_

Miles was officially worried, and he wasn't one to worry. But Charlie hadn't been herself lately. It was more than just finding out she was the Luke to Monroe's Vader. Sure, she'd been shocked, horrified, well a lot of things after he told her. He'd actually been surprised at her reaction. She took it well, too well. Yes, she did cry a bit, not as much as Miles had prepared for anyway, she'd buried her face into his chest and gripped him as though he were the only life vest in her sea of uncertainty. But she'd quickly stopped, dried her eyes, gave him a quiet 'thank you', and then she smiled. That was the strange part, because it wasn't one of those fake 'it's okay I'm fine' smiles, no it was an actual smile. The kind she'd had when she was talking about him taking her for a ride on his motorcycle when they 'saved the world', the kind of smile he'd seen a dozen time before when she'd succeeded in knocking him down in their sparring.

Worse still, Charlie started acting a bit differently. Not enough for Aaron or Nora, well you never knew what Nora knew, to notice. When she looked at him her gaze would last just a bit longer, when they set up camp for the night she would always volunteer to go help him hunt or scout. It wasn't as though Charlie hadn't done these things before, but it was the way she was doing them. Before all the drama, Charlie had seemed a little more embarrassed, and a little angry at herself. Miles knew why too. But he wasn't going to admit it. Because blood or no blood, she was still his niece. He glanced over at her on the other side of the fire, the orange and red glow dancing off her tanned skin and blue eyes.

Charlie was worried. No, maybe that wasn't the right word, Charlie was annoyed. Ever since they had escaped the compound, ever since he'd told her about her father he'd been different, strange, guarded. Charlie had noticed how he seemed to be trying to distance himself from her, and she hated it. He was one of the most important persons in her life, he'd been with her since the very beginning, and now he decided to go cold on her. It hurt.

To be honest it took Charlie a few weeks to notice the change in his behavior, mostly due to her internal turmoil. Not about her whole 'evil father' situation; Charlie would have preferred that actually. No, what had been nagging at her for the first couple weeks was why she had felt relief when he had told her Monroe was her father. Why she'd felt even a little happy. She was sure something was wrong with her; there was nothing good about it. Except, maybe there was. Charlie shook her head trying to ignore her thoughts. They'd already run a thousand times through her head.

Since the beginning Charlie had felt a connection with Miles, a strictly family connection. But as she got to know him better, as they became friends, she started notice other feelings cropping up. She'd been utterly horrified the first time she thought he was attractive. Rationalizing it the best she could, she reasoned that he was nice looking…objectively speaking, and so it really didn't mean anything. But it kept getting worse. She'd started to feel happy around him, but more than happy; she'd started enjoying their hugs a little too much. Guiltily she knew that was why she liked to spar so much, why she wanted him to continue teaching her after she'd gotten the basics of hand-to-hand.

All that time leading up to that one conversation, Charlie had been horrified, embarrassed and guilt ridden. Because she'd eventually recognized that it wasn't a familial connection they had anymore, or at least not on her end. But when he'd told her they weren't related she realized she didn't have to feel so angry, so bad about her thoughts. When she'd finally reconciled all of it, the reason for her relief, and the knowledge that she could pursue what she wanted she had been so happy. She'd gone after it too. Charlie tried to spend more time with Miles, and tried to figure out how to get her feelings across. He'd known since the beginning that they weren't related, so Charlie didn't figure it would be so strange. He might reject her; she couldn't help but think he would. And that's about the time she'd noticed his withdrawal. He barely talked to her, gave short to the point answers and there certainly weren't anymore hugs, even when she needed them.

She looked up from the fire and caught his eyes. He was looking at her. Immediately his gaze left hers. This was all just too strange.

_Cocktail_

Charlie was so glad they'd found this place, and she could tell Miles was too. It was a bar or lounge maybe, Charlie didn't really know the difference. But it looked nice. She swung the door open and turned back to Miles. His side had been injured and she could see the dark red color stain his shirt and hand as he tried to put pressure on the wound. Reaching out to him Charlie tried to help him inside, but he shrugged her off dismissively. His attitude was really starting to piss her off. But then he stumbled.

"Miles!" Immediately she was next to him, holding him up. She let him lean on her as she steered him towards the leather couch. He groaned as she helped him sit. The wound looked worse close up. What was most worrying to her however was that it was in the same place as his near fatal wound had been. She wasn't a doctor or anything but she was pretty sure that having an injury re-occur in an already scarred area wasn't good. Charlie looked at him in the hopes that he knew what to do.

"Go over to the bar and get some Everclear, place like this ought to have some," Charlie blinked at his words.

"I don't think drinking is the best idea right now," she pointed out worriedly.

"Charlie, drinking is always the best idea. But I meant for cleaning the wound," Miles clarified rolling his eyes.

"Oh," Charlie jumped up and went behind the bar looking through the different assortments of liquor. She finally found what she was looking for. Grabbing all the bottles of it she could find she brought them over and sat them on the low table in front of the leather couch. Miles grabbed one of the bottles and twisted the cap off. He glanced at her briefly; she was going through their packs getting out the few bandages they had left. Charlie seated herself next to him. "Take off your shirt."

Miles almost asked 'what?!', but knew he'd have to in order to dress his injury. Reluctantly he removed his shirt. He stopped her though when she reached out for the bottle he held and bandage she had set on the table.

"I can do it," Miles took the bottle from her. He hissed as the alcohol sterilized his wound, Charlie knit her eyebrows and gave him a look that landed somewhere between worry and irritation. He reached out and grabbed the bandage and pressed it against the gash. He started wrapping it around his torso, but it was awkward and difficult.

Charlie got up from the couch and moved to the fireplace, lighting the logs that were left over from some prior time, there were quite a few actually. It was starting to get cold. She came back only to see that he was still working on the bandage. Charlie got fed up with watching him; it was obvious he was having trouble with it. Forcefully she took hold of the bandage from him. She was much quicker, and the dressing was much tighter. Every now and then her hand brushed his skin he'd tense up slightly; his skin felt warm. She hoped he didn't have a fever, and hoped he didn't have an infection. He muttered a 'thanks' when she finished.

"Can you get my extra shirt out of the pack?" Hopping up she retrieved it for him, and handed it over. He seemed to want to get covered as soon as possible. Despite the severity of the situation, Charlie couldn't help but think he looked nice without a shirt. But he was still being so dismissive and distant. Her face must have expressed some of her emotions, at least the negative ones. But he misinterpreted them. "They'll be fine Charlie. Nora'll keep Danny safe until we can meet up." Charlie nodded, feeling a little guilty that that wasn't exactly what she was thinking about. He was right though, they'd have to meet up later, it was already dark out. They'd have to stay the night here.

Despite having treated the wound Miles was still in a lot of pain. The alcohol had stung like a bitch and on top of that he'd already had his side ripped open before. Granted it had been much worse last time. He eyed the bottles of alcohol sitting right in front of him. It wasn't as though they had regular pain killers. Reaching out, Miles took the half empty bottle of Everclear. It was hard liquor and would definitely dull the pain. Charlie watched as he took a swig from the bottle. Hesitantly Charlie glanced at the other bottles. She'd had alcohol before, when she'd turned twenty-one her father had let her have her first drink. Charlie took one of the bottles, but before she could untwist the cap Miles' grabbed her wrist, stopping her from completing the action.

"Whoa now, what do you think you're doing?" Miles asked. "You even old enough for this stuff?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. He knew perfectly well that she was old enough.

"What, I'm old enough to kill, but not to drink?" She pulled her wrist from his grasp and opened the bottle. Taking a sip she almost coughed and spat it out. It had a strong burning flavor and stung as she swallowed it. Unfortunately, Miles noticed and laughed. Charlie could feel herself flush in embarrassment.

"Too strong for you?" Miles smirked. Charlie glared. He chuckled. "You'd probably like an actual drink instead of this hard stuff. It's not meant to be drunk alone anyway." Charlie suddenly remembered that he'd been bartending the first time they'd met, he probably knew a lot about this stuff. "A cocktail, that's something more up your ally."

"Will you make one for me?" He looked surprised, "You bartended before right, back in Chicago?"

"Yeah," he acknowledged. He seemed to mull over her question. "Alright," he conceded, "bring me some of the stuff from the bar."

"What do you need?" Charlie asked, she knew her elation wasn't hidden in the least, and headed back to the bar.

"Vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange juice if you can find some," Miles told her. "Otherwise…"

"Hold on!" Miles heard the clinking of bottles and glasses. Charlie brought over all the items he'd listed and some cocktail glasses. "So?"

"So let's hope I'm not too rusty." Her mood was getting contagious. Miles could feel all the apprehension, and tension receding into the corners of his mind replaced by some positive emotion, one he couldn't really name. He started mixing the drinks and Charlie watched with great attention. Turned out he wasn't at all rusty, and he was right, Charlie did enjoy the cocktail. The mood had started to lighten, and it suddenly seemed as if none of the dramas or hardships had happened at all. It was as if they were just two close friends having a nice evening together. He told her stories of his college days, and the ridiculous situations he always seemed to get Ben into when they were kids. Charlie couldn't stop laughing. For her part she'd told him about how she learned to hunt and why she loved it so much, and she told him about all the small adventures she and Danny had had when they were kids, the ones even her parents didn't know about. They talked, drank, and the firelight cast a warm atmosphere around them.

Charlie was starting to feel sleepy. She clearly wasn't thinking straight though because she leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder. The minute she realized that she'd done it, she'd expected Miles to tense up, or push her away. But he didn't. Instead he just put his arm around her and rested his head atop hers. Her breath caught for a moment. Charlie had missed this, missed being with him. Her chest ached with feeling. Slowly she pulled back slightly and looked up at him. She knew that this wasn't fair, or ideal, they'd both been drinking, although neither of them were drunk, and she knew he just didn't have the energy at the moment to keep his defenses up. But she couldn't just let this chance go.

She didn't think she just did it. Leaning up Charlie pressed her lips to his, it was a light unpracticed kiss, and just for a moment Charlie could have sworn he'd kissed her back. But before she'd fully managed to register this he pulled away from her. Miles quickly got to his feet and put some distance between them, she heard his sharp exhale in pain when he moved so quickly. His hand went to his side, pressing against the wound. Charlie started to get up to go to him but he stopped her.

"Charlie, don't." He said firmly. His voice sounded angry, but when she searched his eyes she saw confusion and fear. "This…didn't happen okay?"

"Why not?" Charlie challenged. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Nothing?" He repeated, exasperated. "Charlie, I'm your uncle." He reasoned, emphasizing his words.

"We're not related." Charlie reminded him, "So why is this such a big deal? Miles, I-"

"No," he cut her off, "no, no, no. Charlie, it's wrong."

"Wrong?" Charlie scoffed. She was starting to get angry. "You knew this entire time that we weren't blood, okay? You weren't the one who felt guilty and disgusted because she found her uncle attractive, because she... I should be thinking this is wrong, not you! You knew, know, there's nothing wrong with it!" Charlie argued loudly. She collected herself, calming her voice as best she could. "So tell me Miles, if we're not related, what's so 'wrong' about this?" For a moment Miles seemed at a loss for words.

"I'm twice your age," he pointed out. He seemed to be grasping at straws.

"So what?" Charlie growled. "Why…" a thought struck her. "Do you not see me that way?" She asked quietly; hurt lacing her voice even before she'd heard his answer. Miles didn't answer.

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed, and please review! Next episode looks like it'll be ... interesting :3 Also, any one know what kind of drink he mixed her? :D


	8. Chapter 8

_Hope_

It was wrong. It had all gone so wrong. She had only been a little tipsy, how could she have screwed it all up so badly between her and Miles? Charlie sat toward the far end of their camp, away from Miles. It wasn't hard since the older man was avoiding her just as much as she was him. She ground her teeth together again and her eyes pricked slightly, but her tears were all gone.

If she had thought Miles was avoiding her before he was downright cold to her now. It wasn't fair! He wasn't really her uncle. She wasn't really his niece. She had been struggling with these feelings and when she found out the truth it was like vindication. But Miles didn't feel the same. He probably only thought of her as an annoying kid he had to take care of. All those minor instances that she thought there'd been something else there, obviously she'd been reading too much into his actions.

Charlie glared out at the encroaching blackness. Sundown was still an hour or so away, but the forest was already getting dark making the woods look murky and foreboding. She heard Miles and Nora talking about something; whatever he'd said made Nora laugh. Charlie's fists clenched.

She should be over it already. There was nothing there. He didn't feel the same, and she was pissed at him for being so childish about all this anyway. Even if she was the one being a brat about it, he was just as bad as her. Okay. So things weren't going to work between them. It was just her one-sided feelings. Now she knew. Eventually she would get over it. But he was back to avoiding her, and when they spoke they barely said anything. It was almost worse.

She wished she'd never said anything at all. At least the way things were they could still talk to each other. At least he'd look her in the eyes when she talked to him. Suddenly the darkness moved and Charlie shot to her feet. The other's were far enough away, they hadn't noticed anything yet.

Charlie drew her crossbow and aimed. "Wait! Charlie, it's me."

"Nate?" she asked, confused, her stand relaxed, and the dark-haired man stepped out from the forest edge. "What are you doing here?" he asked, still on edge and crossbow still aimed. They were never sure if they could trust Nate whenever he showed up, but the presence of something besides her own crazy unhinged feelings was a welcome relief.

"I came to warn you. The militia are in the forest, and they've been making a sweep this direction." He told her, anticipating her next question he added, "I'm one of the scouts I saw you and your fire first; if you hurry they may still miss you."

"Why?" Charlie asked, and Nate looked confused, "Why help us?"

Hazel eyes stared back at her, and something about his gaze was intense and soft at the same time. "Why do you think?" he asked.

Charlie faltered. Nate had always been a wild card, but at the same time he'd never done anything all that terrible, not to her. For some reason she got the feeling he was never that bad; he wasn't like the others in the militia. But beyond that gut feeling, she had no idea what was going on behind hazel eyes.

"You." It came out as a gruff snarl as Miles and the others approached, Nora and Aaron held back further towards the campfire, Miles came forward until he was only a few feet from Charlie and Nate. "Charlie, get away from him."

Charlie felt a rush of heat that had little to do with affection. "He says the militia are making a sweep of this area. We need to move." Charlie relayed what Nate had told her.

"Could be a trick." Miles insisted, glaring down the interloper, "Leave."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "If he's telling the truth-!" Charlie started to argue, but Nate cut their argument short.

"We don't have time, come with me, and I'll show you! Then you have to move!" Nate insisted.

"Charlie, don't." Miles warned, eyes shifting from Nate to her; dark and blue eyes locked in a mental battle. This didn't feel like a team leader questioning an intruder, it felt like something else. Charlie's jaw set and she turned. "Charlie!" Miles warning was too late; Nate and Charlie took off into the forest.

It was growing darker but Charlie could still make out Nate's back as she followed, their running steps hurtling through the dark and brambles before the light was all gone.

Miles had barely said more than ten words to her in the last few days. That was more than they'd spoken in a while. But it seemed like it meant something. Even if Miles didn't feel the same way she did, even if he could never love her like she did him; he did care. Miles cared about her, and he was protective of her. That gave her hope.


	9. Chapter 9

_Blood_

Nate, or rather Jason which was his real name, hadn't been lying. Militia were everywhere, scouting the area in long lines, using machetes to cut through the thick forest, looking for them. Or rather they were looking for Aaron, who still kept the pendant safely around his neck. The men were heavily armed, which meant Monroe was taking this very seriously which no doubt meant he must have collected the majority of the other pendants. Charlie glanced at Nate, er Jason, who met her eyes and in a silent agreement she nodded her head. It was true, and they had to move. Fast.

Turning the pair of them darted back towards the camp. But they were moving too fast in too unstable a place. Jason's footing was lost as the soil under his boot collapsed downward tripping him. He gave a short grunt in pain as he hit the forest floor. Charlie stopped and looked back at him. He'd pushed himself up to his knees but as he tried to stand his ankle seemed unable to support his weight. It was worse than a twist, it was probably broken.

"Go on ahead," Jason told her, "I'll catch up." Charlie's lips pressed together in a tight line at his words. She wasn't stupid. Instead of leaving like he told her, she couldn't fathom him actually thinking she would, Charlie hurried over to him and pulled one of his arms over her shoulder before hauling him to his feet. "I'll only slow you down."

"Can it." She snapped, her blue eyes hard. She didn't miss the small smile pulling at his lips at her reaction. He knew what kind of person she was, knew she'd never leave him; even if he were dead or dying. This was a very embarrassing moment for Jason. Almost as bad as when Charlie had tricked him and hand cuffed him in the forest. That seemed so long ago. Jason was right though, he was slowing them down. They could hear the shouts of the men behind them closing in. Charlie felt adrenaline surging through her system and her whole body seemed to tense. She knew full well that if those men caught up there was no way she could take them all on. Luckily the men were spread out so there were probably only eight or ten that would eventually find them. She tried to quicken their pace but it didn't seem to help. So Charlie made a decision.

Hurriedly Charlie deposited Jason next to the nearest tree with enough shrubs around it to where he could hide. If they didn't look hard and weren't paying all that much attention they wouldn't find him. She could see the distress on his face. He thought she might actually be taking his advice. Charlie shook her head before disappearing from his sight.

He felt cold sitting there against the tree surrounded by a thin mass of shrubs. The voices were approaching as well as the slicing sound of brush and vines as they cleared their path. Jason thought about getting to his feet and trying to make a run for it. But then they would see him and catch him, if he stayed put they might not notice him. He drew his knife and held it tightly in his hands. His father had told him never to trust anyone, told him the only thing he could rely on was his own strength. Jason had taken a leap of faith with Charlie. She'd seemed so caring and kind he thought if anyone in the world had any kind of decency left it was her. Apparently he'd been wrong. He was pulled from his thoughts as the men came towards him.

"Found you." Jason's face paled. The man called out to the others in the area and soon he was surrounded by six. Slowly and painfully Jason got himself to his feet, still heavily leaning onto the tree for support. He had no way of defending himself against so many; he probably wouldn't even get a blow in before he was impaled by their machetes. Setting his jaw and grasping his knife so hard his knuckles turned white he prepared for death.

"Where's the pendant?" One of the men asked darkly. Jason didn't answer and he didn't glare or show much of any emotion on his face aside from determination. Growling in frustration the man lifted his sword and thrust it forward. But it never met its intended destination. For a moment all of them were frozen in confusion. A burst of blood had exploded from the man's head and now it was clearly visible that there was an arrow just barely sticking out of one of his eye sockets. The man fell to his knees before falling, dead, to the ground. In the confusion another arrow shot from above lodged itself in another man's neck. The second man choked and it was clear he'd be dead in moments. Jason took advantage of the distraction. He lunged at one of the men and managed to strike him with his knife. The pain in his ankle made him grunt in pain as he rolled off the dead man. Just as a sword thrust into the dead man's abdomen, if Jason hadn't rolled out of the way it would have hit him. The man yanked the sword out of his dead companion and turned it back towards Jason.

He wouldn't have enough time to roll out of the way for the next attack and he couldn't get to his feet the way he was. There was a sudden cry from above them and both of them turned to look. Charlie had leapt down from the branch she'd been sniping from, knife bared and aimed right for the man as she fell towards him. A loud thump and a grunt of pain from Charlie, she was suddenly next to Jason still on top of the man she'd killed.

"You okay?" Charlie asked, turning back to the two men still standing as she spoke.

"I thought you'd left me," it was practically a whisper and his voice and tone made her heart ache. He seemed to never to have had someone who truly cared about him.

"Never," she winked trying to lighten the mood. She quickly dumped her cross bow and arrows next to Jason, as that was a weapon he'd be able to use without standing or moving all that much. Then she grabbed the dead man's sword and engaged the others.

Jason was able to help with the crossbow but from the angle he was at he was doing minimal damage, lodging an arrow or two in an arm or leg. Charlie had darted forward and wielded her sword well. But she was no Miles. Her sword skills were not as good as the two men. Jason shot at one of them causing the man to stumble back and Charlie, seeing this and believing the man to be preoccupied turned to the other and slammed the butt of her sword against the man's temple. He fell to the ground in a heap. Charlie was about to congratulate herself and Jason for a job well done when she heard a shout from behind her.

"Charlie, look out!" The warning wasn't soon enough though and as Charlie turned to see the other man rushing at her she had no time to dodge or block. A jolt of pain went through her as the man's sword was sheathed in her abdomen. Her eyes were wide in shock and she suddenly had trouble breathing.

"Charlie!" She barely registered him calling her name; her ears were ringing as she looked down at the sword still inside her. The next thing she knew the man was yanked off of her and the sword fell. Now she was looking at a hole. Her hand moved to the wound and was instantly soaked in blood. She watched as the hot red liquid trailed down past her hand drenching her shirt and pants. Charlie's knees buckled, but she never hit the ground. Someone had caught her in his arms and was calling her name in a frantic and terrified voice. Her eyes flickered from her injury to the man who held her.

"Miles?" It was almost a whisper.

"Yeah," his voice sounded relieved and he smiled down at her. "Yeah, it's me." She was so happy and yet at the same time hated that he was seeing her like this. One stab in the gut and suddenly she was out? No, Charlie was tougher than that. Or at least she thought she was. She could feel whatever material it was that Miles was using to try to stop the bleeding, which was odd since she couldn't seem to feel anything else.

"Hey, Charlie!" Miles called, he sounded angry. "Don't you dare fall asleep on me." It was an order, one which Charlie wasn't sure she could follow.

"Miles…" Her vision faded and she was surrounded by darkness, an echo of the voice calling for her followed her into oblivion just as did the deep crimson color of her own blood.

AAAAAAAAAAAAA/NNNNNNNNNNNN

OMG is she dead?

Thanks so much guys for the reviews I'm so glad someone likes it :)


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